"Wh- what?" She stammers, completely caught off guard by the abrupt change in conversational direction. She stops fidgeting with her dress and starts twirling her fingers through the long rope of pearls she's wearing. 

"No. Thank God. I'd charge too much for that additional service anyway," she says laughingly. Chalk up another perk for long distance killing.

"I can't imagine being with anyone for anything other than the pure pleasure of it," she says, then turns to face Kathryn more directly. 

"Can you?"

Kathryn smiled at Merci- but her friend knew Kathryn well enough to know that she was lying about something.

"Pleasure has always been enough for me."

The cab rolled to a stop in front of The Franklin Institute and Kathryn breathed a brief prayer of thanks to vague higher powers. The building loomed in front of them, majestic columns illuminated by spotlights. Kathryn and Merci walked up the many steps, already separating with a wink. 

After making her way through the large foyer and presenting her ticket, Kathryn was shown through one of the three sets of heavy wooden double doors. The party was electric- enough to make one stop. With the dome looming overhead and a giant statue of a seated Benjamin Franklin presiding, the guests mingled and laughed. They were bath by blue lights and serenaded by the string quartet that had taken up residence near the knee of the founding father, like children trying to impress him. There were several dozen people there: donors who helped support the opening of this new building.

Kathryn smiled as she walked in. After her sojourn in Vegas, it was strange being back in her previous habitat. Heading to the bar, she hoped they had pinot noir. 

She hid the yawn behind her hand as she looked around the room to make sure no one was watching her. It was another day and another party for her to be at, one that she hadn't really wanted to attend, but her promise to her mother to go on at least two dates a month dictated that this had to happen. Thinking of her date she craned her head over the crowd, standing on her tip toes just to see where the man had gone. It wasn't a huge loss, he was rather boring after all. She took a sip of her drink and then wandered towards the bar, hoping no one would speak to her. 

Setting her glass down she leaned her hip against it and waited for the bartender to come over. Once he did she smiled at him and said, "Can I get another gin and tonic, please?" before picking up a paper cocktail napkin and tearing into it slowly as she gazed around the room, wondering how much longer she had to be here before she could make a polite escape. She bit her lip to keep from yawning again, feeling her eyes water. 

Merci enters through a different door after presenting her ticket, scanning the room as she grabs a glass of champagne from a passing tray. The dress was a mistake; several eyes roamed her legs as she strolled the room, pretending to study the architecture when she was actually studying the people. One drunken fool approached her and offered a lame pickup line, and without thinking she blurted out, "I don't do men." The look on his face was priceless, so she kept at it until she'd reached the rear hallway. By the end of the evening, one third of the room would think she was a lesbian, another third would think she was a pregnant prostitute, and the last third would think she was a married housewife with a raging case of chlamydia.

You had to find your fun somewhere.

Placing the untouched champagne on a piano, she made her way down the hallway and into the room they'd agreed on. It was indeed empty, and there was a fully stocked wet bar there for the taking. Perfect.

Returning to the main room, she moves toward the bar and orders a martini. Kathryn wasn't there yet, so when the bartender had his back turned, she reached over and grabbed a handful of green olives from the garnish tray. After shoving several in her mouth, she turns to see a cute blonde staring at her. 

"I have a problem," she says guiltily.

She had been watching a couple argue politely off to the side of the room, hoping that it might turn violent and give her an interesting story to tell the next day when her mother and friends asked her about her date, but her attention was distracted when a woman leaned rather far over the bar, flashing quite a bit of leg, and grabbed a handful of olives. She blinked a few times, wondering if she had a drink too many herself before raising an eyebrow and saying rather bluntly, "They should be bringing out the trays of nibbles shortly." to the woman before giving her a grin. She looked back over the bar to see if the bartender was paying attention before hoisting her own frame up and grabbing a few cherries and popping them in her mouth, "But who can wait, right?" She asked with another grin. 

Kathryn had quickly obtained her glass of wine and started making a circuit around the room. She was instantly at ease, which was unsurprising to her. She'd been to a million of these growing up. She'd make small talk, make women laugh (but not enough for her to be remembered), make men attracted to her (but not enough for her to be followed). She prowled through the party, all the while keeping track of the target.

Merci grinned back. She liked this girl already. 

"You cannot be here alone," she says, turning to surveil the room once again. Where was Kathryn? 

"Although if you are, I can't say I blame you, really. These people aren't exactly bringing sexy back," she says. That made no sense, and Merci internally rolled her eyes at herself. Ploughing forward through her social retardation, she tries again.

"I'm M- Olive. Donated too much, had to make the courtesy appearance. You?"

She popped another cherry in her mouth as the woman introduce herself, "I'm Grace. I'm here on a mandatory date that my mother bullied me into." she explained to the woman. "But he's gone and fucked off to lord knows where. Rubbing elbows or measuring penises. Penii? Penors? Dicks. They're off measuring dicks." she waved a hand as if it didn't matter. "Fine by me, means I can get drunk quietly and observe." she motioned to the woman, "What about you? Surely a dress like that means you're here with someone or trying to be?" she asked with a cheeky smirk. 

Kathryn continued to expertly blend in and out of the party; the target seemed to be mostly focused on a conversation with a couple men in their fifties or sixties, with his family nowhere to be seen. Kathryn noticed one young man in a tuxedo who'd been looking at her all night. He had longer blonde hair and a muscular frame: six months ago she'd probably be chatting him up. But when she smiled at him, he didn't acknowledge it and moved to the other end of the party. Was she losing her touch? The next two men that she talked to were eating out of her hand, which was reassuring. She still had it. 

"Uh. Well," she starts, then spots Kathryn and relaxes a bit. She was actually enjoying herself! All Merci could think about was getting the job done and hauling the fuck out of here.

"I'm here for support, really," she says, and it's not actually a lie. Kathryn looks as though she's making her way over, but she's taking her sweet ass time about it.

She had noticed the other woman kept looking for someone, or something in the crowd. She followed her gaze and saw a striking woman making her way towards them, although in a rather roundabout manner. Sensing their time might be drawing to a close, she did the only thing she could think of. She placed her hand on top of the woman's and shyly smiled, "So, Olive, what do you do?" she asked her. 

Merci blinks. 

"I, uh...I'm a teacher. Little kids, yep, love 'em," she says lamely. 

"And you, Grace? What do you do? Wait, let me guess...model? Actress! You look like something out of a magazine," she says, and it may very well be the only honest thing she's said since walking in the door.

Kathryn walks up to the bar next to Grace and Merci. Wryly grinning and speaking as if she's addressing two total strangers, which is half true, she strikes up a conversation.

"You ladies having fun tonight?"

Grace opened her mouth to speak, her face flaming red from the compliment when another woman appeared. Removing her hand from the Olive's she said, "Oh, well as much fun as you can have at these things." she gestured to Olive, "This is Olive, and I'm Grace." she told the woman. "You sure know how to work a room," she commented with a smile.

Kathryn flashed a charming smile at the new woman even as her mind raced. Had that woman been holding Merci's hand? Kathryn looked at Merci and tried to seem nonchalant.

"Nice to meet both of you- and thank you, Grace. I've had a lot of practice as these sort of things. What brings you here tonight- dedication to supporting the sciences?"

She smiled again as she caught the bartender's eye and pointed to the bottle of pinot noir.

She shook her head, "No, my mom has basically bullied me into going on two dates a month otherwise, as she puts it, my reproductive organs will shrivel up and die." she rolled her eyes. "Its not enough that Im a doctor, no. I have to be married and have children as well." she said before making a face. "Mothers. They're bloody awful."

Merci is paralyzed for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. Social niceties and manners weren't worked into her persona; she struggled with the simpler things. Praying Kathryn would understand her, she tried to muddle through.

"You certainly do! You could have any man you wanted here, they'd follow you to a back room in a heartbeat...wow, that dress is incredible!" she gushes. 

"You and my new friend Grace, here...she was just about to confess her profession as a...what is it you do, Grace?"

Grace giggled, she actually giggles. "I'm a doctor." She told the woman before winking at her. "I have to be honest, this is probably the most fun I've had at one of these things in years. I suppose once you go to enough of them the novelty wears off and..." She trailed off as a man in a suit walked by carrying a tray of Hor'derves. She took a few steps forward and tugged on his sleeve. When he turned to look at her she took the whole tray, grinned at him and turned around to walk back to the bar. Setting it down she said to the ladies, "Dinner, is served. For now at least." she laughed before picking up some sort of quiche and popping it into her mouth. 

Kathryn grinned as she accepted an appetizer. 

"I second Olive's opinion here, Grace, about getting any man here that you wanted. I'm sure all these guys would be willing to injure themselves, just so you could get your hands on them."

She winked as she copied Grace's action and popped the appetizer in her mouth. As Grace laughed, Kathryn flashed a look at Merci- message received. She'd mingle long enough to make it look natural, then she'd be on her way. Kathryn turned and leaned back against the bar on her elbows, scanning the room. Blonde, muscular guy looked quickly as she ran her eyes over him. Shy, eh? And there was the target, leaning up against one of the columns arranged in a circle in the room.

"Working keeping you too busy to date, Grace?"

She laughed awkwardly, "Hardly." she muttered before burying her face in her drink and taking a few sips. Once she managed to stop the urge to giggle like an idiot she said, "My date has gone and fucked off for the evening. He wanted some arm candy, and then I had no more value." She grimaced, "I sound bitter. I'm not really, I just... sound it." she frowned again, "Jesus I sound like my mother." She shook her head, "And not so much work, just no interest in dating any of the men I've made acquaintances with." she admitted. "But mother wants grand children, and thus I must pretend like I am actively trying to make that poor old woman's dreams come true." She rolled her eyes, "And you? What do you do? Did your date ditch you as well?" She asked, curious about this new woman.